If you want to pursue an activity that boosts you emotionally and physically, rock climbing might just be your best bet. This is one of those rare sports that challenges and compels you to push comfort zones and individual limitations.
If pursued correctly, it helps you feel truly accomplished, and if you plan to pursue outdoor rock climbing, you might also get some truly scenic views. When it comes to workouts, rock climbing is a curious mix of many forms and types of exercises.
In the following few sections, we will discuss the benefits of rock climbing in detail. So, if you are looking for a holistic workout approach, here’s everything you need to know.
Why Should You Pursue Rock Climbing?
Rock climbing works out your entire body and pushes you to be a fitter and stronger version of yourself.
But what are its specific advantages? Why should you care about rock climbing in the first place? Let’s find out!
Physical Benefits of Rock Climbing
The origin of rock climbing dates back to 400BC. The biggest benefit of pursuing rock climbing is in direct connection to your overall health and wellbeing. This is one of those rare workouts that involve your entire body and comes with tons of physical benefits.
When you pursue rock climbing at a consistent level, you end up building your body’s immune response. In addition, you also successfully boost bodily strength, endurance, and fitness levels.
The final and biggest benefit of this sport is that it helps regulate your blood pressure and cardiovascular fitness.
Because the sport boosts your heart rate, it ensures the quick flow of blood and oxygen in your veins. This keeps you active for the longest time, even after you are done with the rock climbing session.
Since this sport is an extremely low impact, you will enjoy numerous physical benefits and a heightened sense of bodily fitness, balance, and well-being if you know how to pursue it.
Cognitive Benefits of Rock Climbing
While the biggest benefit relating to rock climbing is often in the realm of physical fitness, the sport also comes with several cognitive benefits.
First, it helps with your decision-making abilities by pushing you to exercise your judgment and problem-solving ability, all while chalking out the visual clues.
Next, it boosts your determination by re-instilling self-confidence and a sense of making something work or achieving something. Third, the sport also relieves you of stress because it is a fun exercise at the end of the day.
Finally, it helps improve your motor abilities and heightens your overall awareness of surrounding spaces. To learn how to improve your climbing skills, read our article on how to get better at climbing.
Social Advantages of Rock Climbing
As with any other sport, rock climbing comes with a set of social advantages as well. For one, it helps improve your networking as you collaborate with other rock climbing enthusiasts.
In the same way, it also enhances trust and improves your listening abilities. If you are rock climbing for a long enough time, it might also boost your leadership potential.
Overall, this is one of those rare sports that can be enjoyed just for fun and also be leveraged for the social advantages it imparts. If you are interested, you can also become a climbing guide.
What Does Rock Climbing Workout (which parts of our body and skills)
Rock climbing is one of those workouts that involve your entire body. Most of it is all about focusing on complex routes, and because the workout targets multiple body parts, you will experience both fun and challenges while pursuing it.
Typically, rock climbing is known to target the following areas of your body:
- Core: While sloping rocks, you need to balance your body and keep it in proximity to the rock’s wall. Thanks to the nature of this workout, your body gets its required strength and mobility.
- Arms and Shoulders: When you attempt to climb a rock, you end up working out your forearms. The same applies to the upper section of your arms and the area along the shoulders. As you move upwards, you are required to initiate a pulling motion with your shoulders. That is because, after a certain point, your legs won’t be as flexible or balanced enough to exert force.
- Legs: With that said, your legs offer incredible power and flexibility when you are climbing steep slopes. Therefore, rock climbing works out your leg muscles as well.
- Glutes: Rock climbing involves intensive movement around your glutes. You will need to exert pressure on the glutes to move upwards. The same applies to the muscles in your calf and legs.
- Shoulder and Back: Your upper back is thoroughly leveraged to ensure stability and balance while climbing rocks. So, this form of workout also utilizes your entire back muscles.
So, the answer to “what does rock climbing work out” would be your entire body. The activity also involves plenty of stretching motions because you need to switch between rocks. Make sure that you stretch well before rock climbing.
Because you are sloping lofty heights, your heart rate may increase as well. Typically, rock climbing boosts heart rate by 120 to 180 beats every minute.
As you already know, the exercise pushes your boundaries and tests strength at the maximum level. The exercise is low impact, but it continues to deliver maximum results.
Another outdoor activity that is great for physical and mental health, linked to rock climbing is rappelling. Often, they go together. Usually, climbers know how to rappel and rappellers know how to climb.
How Does Rock Climbing Affect Your Body?
By sloping hills and rocks, you can develop better and stronger muscles for endurance. What’s more, your core strength will be significantly boosted, and you will be left with an excellent body that is not much prone to injuries.
As you frequently climb rocks, your entire body (including your upper and lower back, legs, arms, and glutes, among others) is strengthened and prepared for endurance. In addition, the accelerating heart rate helps regulate your cardiovascular system.
With rock climbing, you can also improve your performance in multiple sports. With climbing, you can effectively develop the core muscles you would otherwise need to work in sports like cricket, soccer, jogging, cycling, or other sports involving hand movements like cricket and badminton.
Consistent rock climbing sessions lead to significant bodily strength and endurance that can be later leveraged for other workouts or other types of sports.
Conclusion
Well, now that you know all about rock climbing benefits, what are you waiting for? Pursue this new passion and improve your fitness and endurance levels in a single go.
